Craig Newmark knows the power of the internet. After all, he designed his first website in 1995 to help his friends put the word out about local events in San Francisco; today, Craigslist is now one of the top ten most-visited sites online. But Newmark is trying to harness the power of the internet for a new project: Craigconnects, which brings nonprofit groups and charities together to meet, share ideas, and work together to bring about change.
Craigconnects came about when Newmark tallied all of the nonprofit groups he had donated to or advised over the years and the total was more than one hundred -- far above the twenty or thirty Newmark had estimated. Craigconnects is Newmark’s way of making it easier for everybody to keep track of their nonprofits, and for the groups to benefit themselves. At the moment, Newmark funds the site himself; and he plans to continue to do so until he can determine an appropriate way to raise funds otherwise.
Right now Craigconnects features six different categories of charities and nonprofits: Military Families and Veterans, Back to Basics Journalism, Public Diplomacy, Open Government, Consumer Protection, and Technology for the Common Good. Each portal currently includes only charities and nonprofits that Newmark supports or advises himself. But he hopes to continue to expand the categories as more groups get involved; one part of his vision for Craigconnects is for it to be one-stop portal for everybody to research and contact charities.
Newmark’s overall vision for the site goes far beyond a simple portal, however. He wants everyone in the world to unite for the common good using the internet, with Craigconnects acting as one of the major tools. Judging by his previous success and his long-term commitment to Craigconnects, there is a good chance that Newmark will achieve exactly that.
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